World YWCA Let s talk about sex.pdf

JUNE 2009 | ISSUE 141
A PUBLICATION OF THE WORLD YWCA
feature:
Let’s talk about SEX
Young women on the move:
What does sexual and reproductive health
and rights mean to you?
hiv and aids:
Forced and coerced sterilisation of HIV-
Positive Women: A Human Rights Issue

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Contents
03 | Editorial
04 | YWCAs Around the World
In this briefing, we highlight the work
YWCAs are doing to ensure women’s
sexual and reproductive health and rights.
18 | Sexual Exploitation and Violence
Against Women
Breaking the Poto Mitan of Haitian Society
HIV and aids
19
Forced and coerced
sterilisation of HIV-Positive
Women: A Human Rights Issue
Guaranteeing women’s human right to
free and informed reproductive healthcare
decision-making
Feature
6Let’s talk about
SEX
Ensuring women’s human right to
healthy sexual and reproductive lives
Take Action
11 | Looking through the cross at
violence against women
12 | Pregnancy Matters
Maternal mortality and the human rights
of women
Young Women on the Move
14 | What does sexual and reproductive
health and rights mean to you?
Leading Change
16 | Higher education, higher risks
YWCA of Ethiopia responds to university
women’s sexual and reproductive health
needs
Briefing
21 | From the World YWCA
23 | People
23 | Supporters
President: Susan Brennan General Secretary: Nyaradzayi
Gumbonzvanda Editor: Kaburo Kobia Co-ordinators: Sarah
Davies, Sylvie Jacquat Distribution: Fiona Wilkie. Articles may be
freely reproduced with acknowledgement to World YWCA Common
Concern ISSN 1025-4099. All artwork, images and photography
is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without
permission. ©2009 World YWCA.
Common Concern is published in French and Spanish, contact
worldoffice@worldywca.org to order.
On the Cover: Moo Moo Hsoe
World YWCA Intern 2009 and Assistant
programme Secretary at the YWCA of Myanmar.
www.worldywca.org

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Editorial
Daily, the world is confronted
with staggering statistics
related to women’s health:
an unacceptable number
of girl-child marriages, women dying in
childbirth and young women exposed
to sexually transmitted infections and
HIV. In many countries women and girls
face violence and abuse resulting in
gross violations of their human rights.
Female genital cutting or mutilation,
honour killings, forced sterilisations,
criminalisation of HIV transmission all
speak to the daily horrors many women
face condoned by culture, customs,
misapplication of religious norms and
legislation.
The World YWCA has, in the last
decade, intensified its interventions,
programmes and activities around
HIV prevention and care. It is now
evident that such interventions remain
incomplete unless framed in a way
that equally respond to sexual and
reproductive health and rights of
women and young people. Violence
against women is the ultimate
manifestation of women’s lack of
access to their rights. In February
2009, the YWCA held a consultation
on sexual reproductive health and
rights (SRHR) with a number of
member associations and partners
who collectively defined an approach
for the YWCA movement to adopt. The
proposed strategy guides the YWCA
in creating change in our communities
and addressing laws and norms
related to the triple challenge of
sexual and reproductive health and
rights, HIV and violence against
women (VAW).
With the revised approach,
the World YWCA is focusing
on comprehensive prevention,
comprehensive support and care
within safe spaces for women and
girls and a commitment to building
evidence through documentation,
monitoring and evaluation.
The series of regional training
institutes on SRHR, HIV and VAW that
the YWCA movement is hosting in the
next two years attest to our investment
in a coherent global response
while equipping individual women
leaders with skills and tools to deliver
at the local level and within their
communities.
While the World YWCA makes
its own contributions, the movement
continues to ask for accountability
and commitment towards actions
that invest in women and girls,
uphold their human rights and
end stigma and discrimination.
The International Conference of
Population and Development (ICPD)
held in Cairo in 1994 concluded with
pledges to achieve universal access
to reproductive health services for
every one in all countries by 2015.
The Millennium Development Goals
echo the ICPD goals and call for
a specific commitment to reduce
maternal mortality by 2015. Next year,
the world will review the commitment
government leaders made in the
2001 Declaration of Commitment
on HIV and AIDS. As advocates for
women’s health, we must not only hold
our leaders accountable for these
promises, but also find ways to ensure
they are achieved.
In this issue of Common Concern
we explore what SRHR means
and how member associations,
women leaders and civil society
can contribute to a safe world free
of violence and free of HIV where
women’s reproductive health and
rights are respected. •
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda
General Secretary, World YWCA
www.worldywca.org

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YWCAs Around
the World
Since 1855, YWCAs around the world have championed women’s rights. YWCAs work
within their local context to find solutions that work for the women and girls in their community.
In this briefing, we highlight the work YWCAs are doing to ensure women’s sexual
and reproductive health and rights.
Over 200 young women took an active part in the YWCA of Ukraine trainings on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Young women in Ukraine learn about
responsible sexual behaviour
Ukraine has the highest number of people living
with HIV in Europe. In response, the YWCA
of Ukraine has organised workshops in the
capital Kyiv that educate young women on
HIV and AIDS. Over 250 young women have attended the
workshops and learnt about responsible sexual behaviour,
the importance of good sexual health and the social and
economic factors that make women vulnerable to HIV. “I did
not even know female condoms exist. We have so much to
learn and we must tell other people,” said a young woman
participant.
“The young women take themselves more seriously with
respect to their health,” says Marina Grodzitskaya, Project
Manager for the workshops, “They obtain information on
where and how they can undergo anonymous HIV testing
and if necessary get consultations and support. They
become aware of the dangers of unprotected sex.“
The workshops are popular with young women who
are eager for information on HIV and sexual health. “This
training gave me a new push to act. I have started to deliver
mini-trainings to my friends,“ says Christine, a YWCA
member.
The YWCA of Ukraine will continue hosting the
workshops and hopes to expand the participation to sex
workers.
www.worldywca.org

YwCAs Around the World
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The YWCA of Grenada hosted an HIV awareness booth
and voluntary testing at the Grenada Sailing Festival.
Finding support after breast cancer
Going sailing? Take a condom
Globally, breast cancer kills one woman every
75 seconds. The YWCA Encore programme,
run by YWCAs in New Zealand, Australia, USA,
Canada and Japan, assists women who have
had breast cancer surgery. Encore was developed in the
1970s by YWCA USA women who had experienced trouble
finding appropriate support programmes after breast
cancer surgery.
Recovering from breast cancer can have serious
physical and psychological effects. Encore has been
designed to address the challenges of recovery through
improving mobility and flexibility, boosting self-esteem and
confidence and finding relief from discomfort experienced
after surgery. Encore is offered free-of-charge and runs
over an eight-week period with a weekly group meeting to
participate in floor and pool exercises and an information
and support session.
In Australia, Encore evaluations found nine out of ten
women who attend an Encore course report physical
improvement. Eight out of ten women feel an increase in
their energy level and 100 per cent of the women report that
they benefited from attending Encore.
The YWCA of Grenada has pledged their
commitment to raise awareness of HIV and sexual
and reproductive health rights (SRHR) on the
Caribbean island of Grenada.
The association has developed an HIV and AIDS
Committee that works alongside the Grenada National Aids
Directorate and other non-governmental organisations to
educate both its membership and the general public on HIV
and AIDS and SRHR.
The YWCA of Grenada recently hosted an HIV
awareness booth and voluntary counseling and testing
at the Grenada Sailing Festival. “It was an excellent
opportunity to showcase Grenada’s HIV agenda. YWCA
volunteers walked along the beach with educational
materials that included posters, male and female condoms,
contact cards and an HIV awareness survey,“ says Shonta
Duncan, a YWCA of Grenada member.
Promotional materials such as water bottles were
handed out to people who correctly answered questions
on the topic. Condoms were also distributed to those who
attended to encourage responsible sexual practices and
behaviour. The association also held an Open House on
World AIDS Day 2008 to raise awareness of HIV in Grenada
and provide information on the correct use of the male and
female condom.
www.worldywca.org

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feature
Let’s talk about
www.worldywca.org

feature
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The International Conference
on Population and
Development (ICPD) held
in Cairo in 1994, hosted by
the United Nations, brought together
governments, inter-governmental
agencies, world leaders, civil society
and activists to discuss the link
between population and development,
specifically women’s role in alleviating
poverty. During the conference, it was
made clear that until women and girls
have full enjoyment of their rights, in
family life and society, the development
of communities and countries would be
held back. The conference concluded
with a Programme of Action (PoA) that
outlined key areas for governments
and world leaders to address in
order to ensure women and girls can
live full and fulfilling lives. The goals
include commitments on increasing
access to education for women and
girls, reducing child and maternal
mortality and ensuring women’s
health, especially their sexual and
reproductive health.
The ICPD set a target for the
PoA—governments are to achieve the
goals by 2015. With less than five years
to go, the world is far from reaching the
ambitious goals set in the PoA. Women
still die needlessly from childbirth
complications, young women lag
behind their male peers in education
and far too many girls entering their
reproductive years face numerous
dangers from violence to HIV, early
marriage to risk of cervical and breast
cancer.
Reproductive health and
rights
The outcomes of the ICPD offer
the most comprehensive definitions of
sexual and reproductive health and
rights (SRHR). Although some theories
on SRHR remain contentious, the
definitions set at the ICPD have gone
on to inform the work of countless
organisations, including the World
YWCA.
In 2003, the World YWCA Council
adopted a resolution on Reproductive
Health and Sexuality calling on the
YWCA movement to promote and work
towards the provision of extensive
access to quality education, resources,
information, discussion and counseling
for women and girls regarding their
reproductive rights.
Many YWCAs have implemented
programmes on reproductive health
like the acclaimed YWCA Encore
Breast Cancer programmes available
across the USA, Australia, New
Zealand and Japan that provide women
with support as they recover from
breast cancer surgery.
In Ghana, the YWCA run
reproductive health services that
reached over 60,000 schoolgirls and
women of reproductive-age through
mobile health clinics funded by the
Centre for Development and Population
Activities (Cedpa).
Violence, HIV and the link
to sexual rights
Sexual rights protect women and
men’s right to decide when, where,
how and with whom they choose to
have sexual experiences. Furthermore,
people—including young people
—have the right to all information on
the importance of responsible sexual
behaviour and how to effectively
prevent sexually transmitted infections
(STIs) and HIV.
But talking about sex with a partner
can have serious consequences
for many women—whether it is a
discussion on how many children
to have, introducing condoms to
the relationship or declining sex.
Simply trying to access sexual rights
in a context of harmful traditions or
legislation that do not protect women
often increases their vulnerability
to violence and HIV infection. There
are many forms of violence against
women (VAW) and there is no fixed,
exhaustive list. VAW includes violence
in the family and community such as
battering, marital rape and emotional
abuse like isolation and humiliation.
The ICPD defined reproductive health as:
“…a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being
in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its
functions and processes. It implies that people have the
capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when
and how often to do so. Implicit in this is the right of men and
women to be informed and to have access to safe, effective,
affordable and acceptable methods of family planning of their
choice, as well as other methods of their choice for regulation
of fertility, which are not against the law, and the right of
access to health-care services that will enable women to go
safely through pregnancy and childbirth.” 1
1 United Nations Department of Public Information * DPI/1618/POP--March 1995
It also includes harmful traditional
practices like female genital mutilation,
child and forced marriage, forced
sexual initiation, acid throwing, sexual
harassment and intimidation at work
or schools, trafficking and forced
sterilisation. 1
In 2007, the World YWCA further
committed to advancing women’s
rights by including actions on SRHR
in the Nairobi 2007 Call to Action
on HIV and AIDS launched at the
International Women’s Summit on
Women’s Leadership on HIV and AIDS 2 .
In regions where the HIV prevalence
1 1993 UN General Assembly Declaration on the
Elimination of Violence against Women
2 Hosted by the YWCA the International Women’s
Summit on Women’s Leadership on HIV and AIDS
was the first international conference to focus on
women’s leadership and HIV and AIDS
www.worldywca.org

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feature
The World YWCA has continuously called for
increased access and distribution of the female condom
ICPD Programme
of Action
(A/CONF.171/13):
» Provide universal
education: Urge countries
to provide wider access
to women for secondary
and higher level education
as well as vocational and
technical training.
» Reduce infant and child
mortality
» Reduce maternal mortality
» Ensure universal access
to reproductive health
care, including family
planning, assisted
childbirth and prevention
of sexually transmitted
infections including
HIV. Reduce unintended
pregnancies. Address
impact of unsafe
abortions. Actively
discourage female genital
mutilation (FGM)
www.worldywca.org
is high, access to sexual and
reproductive heath tools like condoms
have a dual effect: they enable women
to plan their families and also offer
protection from HIV and STIs. The
female condom offers women an
additional choice for contraception and
protection. In the 2006 AIDS epidemic
update, UNAIDS reported that in
Thailand a third of new infections were
among married women. In Cambodia,
40% of married women surveyed
reported fear that their husbands
would infect them with HIV 3 . In a recent
survey in East Africa, 40% of married
individuals with HIV have uninfected
partners 4 . For serodiscordant couples
(where only one partner is HIVpositive),
condoms use is crucial to
ensure healthy and pleasurable sexual
relationships.
Comprehensive Condom
Programming for Women
and Girls
On numerous occasions, the World
YWCA has called for increased access
and distribution of the female condom.
But condoms are not the only solution
to preventing HIV. With over 70 member
associations running programmes
on HIV and SRHR, the World YWCA
3 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic.
UNAIDS
4 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic.
UNAIDS
understands that a comprehensive
approach is essential to an effective
response to HIV. Early in 2009, the
World YWCA convened a consultation
to strengthen the global strategy on
SRHR and HIV and AIDS including
condom programming. The revised
strategy offers four goals for the YWCA
movement to focus its action: create
a safe and inclusive space for women
and girls; provide comprehensive
prevention including comprehensive
condom programming (CCP);develop
leadership and strengthen capacity,
especially with young women as
champions and leaders on SRHR,
HIV and an end to VAW; and ensure
documentation and quality monitoring
and evaluation of YWCA programmes.
The strategy will be shared during
the World YWCA regional training
institutes to be held through 2009 and
early 2010 and will inform regional level
SRHR plans. •
For more information visit:
www.ippf.com
www.guttmacher.org
www.unfpa.org
By Natalie
Fisher-
Spalton,
World YWCA
Deputy
General
Secretary

Feature
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World YWCA global strategy
on SRHR, HIV and VAW
A diverse group of people from within the YWCA and key partners gathered in Geneva,
Switzerland for a three day global consultation on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
(SRHR) and HIV and AIDS in early 2009. Hosted by the World YWCA, the consultation was an
opportunity to review and strengthen the World YWCA HIV and AIDS global strategy to ensure
HIV is addressed through a SRHR framework.
The importance of linking sexual and reproductive
health and rights (SRHR) and HIV has become
widely recognised. 1 International conventions
such as CEDAW and
global commitments such as the
Millennium Development Goals,
Beijing Platform for Action and
the International Conference on
Population and Development
(ICPD) Programme of Action
cannot be met without ensuring
universal access to SRHR and HIV
prevention, treatment, care and
support.
The World YWCA 2009-2012
strategic framework provides
direction on the links between
accessing information, resources
and services—especially
sexual and reproductive health
services—with prevention, care
and treatment of HIV and AIDS.
To strengthen the strategic
framework, a consultation on the
World YWCA global strategy on
SRHR and HIV and AIDS including
condom programming was held
in Geneva from February 23-25,
2009.
Supported by the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),
40 participants convened to share
their experience and expertise
on SRHR, HIV and AIDS and
violence against women (VAW).
The outcomes of the consultation
confirmed the importance of
taking a comprehensive and
The World YWCA
strategy affirms that it
is essential to:
1. Create a safe and inclusive
space for women and girls
2. Provide comprehensive
prevention including:
» Comprehensive condom
programming (CCP)
» Integrated information on
SRHR, HIV and VAW that
leads to empowerment
and behaviour change at
community level
» Address stigma and
discrimination of women and
girls living with HIV
3. Develop leadership and build
capacity, especially with
young women as champions
and leaders of SRHR, HIV
and an end to VAW
4. Ensure documentation
and quality monitoring
and evaluation of YWCA
programmes
integrated approach to SRHR and HIV with a particular
focus on prevention.
The YWCA is renowned as a safe space for women,
including young women, in which they
are empowered to take ownership of
their lives. YWCAs are therefore ideally
positioned to provide safe and inclusive,
non-judgmental and confidential spaces
for women and girls to discuss and
disclose challenges they face in SRHR,
HIV and AIDS and VAW. Safe spaces can
refer to actual physical space and/or
a gathering of women and girls where
they feel safe to learn and disclose
their sexual and reproductive health
challenges.
Participants:
» Representatives from 16 YWCAs from
eight regions
» Key partners: UNFPA, UNAIDS, the
David and Lucile Packard Foundation,
Youth Coalition For Sexual and
Reproductive Health and Rights,
Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance,
Norwegian Church, Aid Masimanyane
Women’s Support Centre, Population
Services International and the Global
Public Sector Team (now called
Support). •
The consultation report is available on the
World YWCA website, visit:
www.worldywca.org or by email
worldoffice@worldywca.org
1 IPPF, UCSF, UNAIDS, WHO, UNFPA. Sexual &
Reproductive Health and HIV Linkages: Evidence
Review and Recommendations. 2008.
www.worldywca.org

girl
For every ..............
We want to live in a world where
every girl will grow up to have:
n access to quality education
n appropriate sex education teaching her essential
life skills in taking responsibility for her own sexuality
n information on how HIV is transmitted and how it
is not transmitted
n access to confidential voluntary counseling and
HIV-testing and know her HIV status
n access to the best and most effective HIV treatment if
she is HIV-positive and freedom to choose whom to tell
about her HIV status
n skills to negotiate condom use and access to low cost
female and male condoms
n knowledge on how to prevent unintended pregnancies and
access contraception suited to her needs
n freedom to choose when to marry and whom to marry
n freedom to choose when and if to have children, regardless
of her HIV status
n access to health facilities that would help her survive
childbirth when she is old enough to have children
n access to regular screening and treatment
for cervical and breast cancer
www.worldywca.org
....

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Take Action
Looking through the cross
at violence against women
A
genuinely Christian
perspective is
against all forms
of violence against
women. Christianity proclaims
a God who is defined by love
and who wants to be personally
involved in helping women and
men become whole people
in societies marked by justice
with peace. Violence against
women works exactly against
this goal. When a husband
believes he can demand sex
from his wife; or a woman is
gossiped about or shamed
in the community when she
reveals that her boyfriend or
husband is abusing her; or a
girl is deprived an education
in favor of a boy; or a woman
is denied in a thousand large
and small ways the possibility
of developing her full potential
and personhood—it is violence
against the dignity of women.
When any of these actions are linked somehow with God,
they can be even more devastating.
In the first pages of the Bible we see God created men
and women both in God’s image with inherent value and
with the capacity to create, reason and love (1). Jesus treated
women with kindness and respect. In a context where
women were not valued as highly as men and did not have
the same rights as men, Jesus
defended women, healed women,
and developed friendships with
women, even women outcast in
their society (2). At a time when
a woman’s testimony was not
considered valid, Jesus chose to
appear first to women after his
resurrection (3).
Thinking theologically about
the real issues of life allows
us to ask and articulate how
faith can make a difference. It
allows us to ask questions about
interpretations of the Bible that
seem to limit women. It allows
us to find new ways of relating
the biblical texts to our current
experiences and needs.
One strong example of a
new reading and application
of a familiar text is the Tamar
Campaign, whose aim is
to mobilise and sensitise
girls, women, men, media,
faith organisations, religious
institutions and others to say no to rape and domestic
violence. It is centered around a Bible study of the story of
Tamar in 2 Samuel 13:1-22. Tamar, David’s daugther, was
raped by Ammon, her half brother. A symbol of violence
against women, Tamar was not only abused but also
courageously spoke out against her abuse. Her powerful act
can encourage other women to speak out against abuse.
Rape and sexual assault are widely recognised as crimes, although in 44 countries
legislation is yet to be developed (UNIFEM 2003 Report)
www.worldywca.org

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Take Action
Evidence shows violence against
women damages not only the individual
women but the whole society. HIV
and AIDS spreads when women do
not have the education or freedom to
make informed choices about sexuality
or are coerced sexually. And when
men are perpetrating or allowing
violence against women, knowingly
or unknowingly, neither men nor
women are living as they are created
to be—in wholeness and mutuality.
The church and Christians are called
to speak out against all forms of
violence against women, even and
especially when we find it in our own
communities, proclaiming through our
actions that violence is unequivocably
unacceptable and that the God of
lovingkindness is in our midst ready to
heal and restore. •
References:
1 Genesis 1
2 Matthew 9:19-21; Luke 10/John 11;
John 8
3 Luke 24/Mark 16
By Christine Housel, World
Student Christian Federation
Christine Housel
received her
Masters of Divinity
from Yale Divinity
School (01) and is
a member of the
Episcopal Church.
She currently lives
in Geneva,
Switzerland where
she works as
Global Project Manager for the World
Student Christian Federation. One area
of passion for Christine is working
together with girls and women to find
their full potential as women and to
discover how to stand against all forms
of violence, in partnership with likeminded
men. The World Student Christian
Federation has been a long-time
partner with the World YWCA in
empowering women and working for
gender justice.
For more information on the Tamara
Campaign contact the Ujamaa Centre:
labanc@ukzn.ac.za
For more information on the World
Student Christian Federation visit:
www.wscfglobal.org
Pregnancy
Matters
Maternal mortality
and the human
rights of women
By holding government’s accountable to the Programme of
Action and MDG 5 and supporting women with services that
contribute to preventing unnecessary deaths, YWCAs can
play a crucial role in achieving women’s reproductive rights.
In the least developed
countries, only
39%
of women have a skilled
attendant during their
childbirth.
1 UNICEF, State of the World’s Children
Report 2008
Global statistics show
that over 500,000
women die each year
from complications
during pregnancy or childbirth;
99% of these occur in developing
countries. The conditions that
enable these unnecessary
deaths vary, but timely strategies
to improve the lives of women
and girls can reduce the risk of
pregnancy and childbirth.
The journey to a successful
pregnancy for a woman in the
developing world can be perilous. Assuming she is not a child forced into
marriage facing her first pregnancy at fourteen, her closest maternal care
clinic may be 40 kilometres away. For the fourteen year-old, unattended
complications during childbirth may lead to obstetric fistula— a severe
medical condition in which a hole develops between the rectum/bladder
and vagina.
For the woman with access to antenatal care, a mandatory HIV test may
reveal that she is HIV-positive. Often with no support or counselling, she has
to face her partner and family with the news. Assuming her partner does not
beat or abuse her for ‘bringing HIV into the home’, she may have no access
to antiretroviral medication that would ensure her baby is born HIV-negative
and she has a healthy life during which she can raise and care for her child.
www.worldywca.org

Take Action
CC 13
And what if she was circumcised
as a girl? The World Health
Organisation (WHO) reports that
female genital mutilation increases
risk of childbirth complications and
newborn deaths.
Upholding women’s
rights
The strategies to ensure women
can have safe pregnancies are
multi-fold: from ensuring girls stay
in school and are not forced into
marriage to providing adequate
health care. But to be successful,
these strategies must be centred
on reducing poverty, eliminating
inequality and eradicating harmful
gender norms and traditions. By
upholding a girl’s right to health
from when she is born to when she is
elderly, governments can ensure not
only women’s wellbeing but society’s
as well.
The impact women’s poor health
has on the community, economy
and country is increasingly being
recognised by governments and
world leaders. At the March 2009
session of the Human Rights Council,
83 governments reaffirmed their
commitment to addressing maternal
mortality as a human rights issue.
Governments identified specific
steps the Council can take and
requested that member states
include women in decision-making
around maternal health 1 .
The International Conference on
Population and Development (ICPD)
held in Cairo in 1994 concluded with
pledges outlined in a Programme
of Action. The outcomes of the
ICPD in turn informed the language
of Millennium Development Goal
5 on maternal health. The ICPD
Programme of Action and MDG
5 provide a clear framework for
action to achieve universal access to
reproductive health services by
2015. Women’s organisations like
the YWCA—with its experience in
1 WomenDeliver.org news retrieved 29.04.09
providing services and history of
advocating for women’s rights—are
well placed to respond to the needs
of women and girls. By holding
government’s accountable to the
Programme of Action and MDG
5 and supporting women with
services that contribute to preventing
unnecessary deaths, YWCAs can
play a crucial role in achieving
women’s reproductive rights. •
MDG 5: Improve
Maternal Health
Target 5.A:
Reduce by three quarters,
between 1990 and 2015, the
maternal mortality ratio
Indicators:
5.1 Maternal mortality ratio
5.2 Proportion of births
attended by skilled health
personnel
Target 5.B:
Achieve, by 2015, universal
access to reproductive health
Indicators:
5.3 Contraceptive prevalence
rate
5.4 Adolescent birth rate
5.5 Antenatal care coverage
(at least one visit and at least
four visits)
5.6 Unmet need for family
planning
www.worldywca.org

CC 14
Young Women
on the Move
What does Sexual and
Reproductive Health
and Rights mean to you?
Contraception, sexuality, pregnancy, violence, menstruation,
sexually transmitted infections…it can be information overload
for young women when discussing sexual and reproductive
health and rights. In this section of Common Concern, we ask
young women from around the world to share what sexual
and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) means to them.
Maria Morena
Galvelo, 30
Philippines
World YWCA Board Member
and YWCA of Philippines
member
Sexual reproductive health
and rights are integral to our
existence as humans. God
created us with sexuality
that should be treated with respect and
free from all forms of discrimination
and violence that rob human dignity.
It disturbs me to hear that my fellow
Filipino women work abroad and
suffer physical and sexual abuse
from their foreign employers.
Discrimination, cruelty and
violence against young women’s
SRHR will continue if no action
is taken. Everyone plays a role
in changing this– individuals,
families, communities and the
government that leads the nation.
Andrea Núñez
Argote, 24 Mexico
World YWCA Advocacy
Intern and YWCA of
Naucalpan member
I
first heard about sexual
reproductive health and
rights during my phone
interview for the World YWCA
Internship. I wasn’t sure what it meant
or the difference so I used the Internet
to find out.
www.worldywca.org

Young women on the move
CC 15
When young people are unaware
of SRHR or what the difference
is between them, they can make
uninformed choices and be left
vulnerable to violations of these rights
that they start to accept as normal.
I did not get taught sexual or
reproductive health at school. These
topics were in our health books but
teachers just skipped the subject. Only
now I realise how important it is for
young people that these issues are
addressed. Today, teachers still refuse
to teach about sexual health.
In the YWCA of Naucalpan we
provide workshops for students to
understand and exercise their SRHR in
the best possible way. We are filling the
gap teachers do not want to fill.
Sita Shahi, 30 Nepal
Srijansil Mahila Samuha,
People Living with HIV (PLHIV)
women’s group
Sexual reproductive health
and rights are important
to young people. Due to
the lack of education on
sexual and reproductive health, many
women are becoming infected with
HIV. If young women are not informed
of their sexual and reproductive health
rights, they can engage in risky sexual
behaviour which can lead to HIV and
sexually transmitted infections. Family,
school and society need to talk openly
about these issues
Women who are uninformed of
SRHR can become victims of physical
and mental violence, early and
unplanned pregnancy and HIV.
Young women have a right to live a
free life and their SRHR should not be
exploited.
Sepora Tagaloa, 22
American Samoa
World YWCA Board member
and YWCA of American Samoa
member
I
am a young woman that
belongs to a conservative
culture that labels all things
sexual as taboo. I learned
about my sexual health when I
was prescribed birth control to
regulate an irregular cycle. The
nurse scoffed at me, presuming
I was an out-of-control sexually
active teenager. I was 14 years
old and unaware of what my body
was experiencing. My parents, and
schools I attended did not discuss
my reproductive health.
I believe sexual education
should be included in the education
framework of primary schooling.
Providing young women with sexual
education enables them to make
well-informed decisions about
their sexual health. Also, providing
the entire community with sexual
education will generate an open and
understanding perspective for the
betterment of young women’s social
and sexual wellbeing.
Aika Temu, 30
Tanzania
World YWCA Accountant
Wait until you’re married.
Abstain. You will get
an STD. Pregnant. No
man will want you. He
is your husband. You must please him.
Condoms are against Gods plans
for procreation…a snapshot of the
information young women received
where I grew up.
No one talked about how
to handle advances from men
in positions of power, how
to negotiate safe sex or the
facilities available if you had
difficult decisions to make.
So we watched in silence
hiding behind guilt, shame,
religion, culture and society as
women suffered and some died.
We have done this for too long.
www.worldywca.org

CC 16
Leading Change
Higher education,
higher risks
YWCA of Ethiopia responds to university
women’s sexual and reproductive health needs
University should be a liberating and empowering experience for young women. When the
YWCA of Ethiopia discovered female students faced a range of barriers that impacted on
their sexual and reproductive health and rights, they decided to provide support to young
women and challenge the status quo.
Female students in higher
learning institutes in Ethiopia
face many problems
that pose a challenge to
the successful completion of their
studies. The YWCA of Ethiopia has
found typical challenges identified
by female university students include
economic problems, especially
for rural female students, sexual
and verbal harassment and lack of
sufficient knowledge on reproductive
health including HIV. Unintended
pregnancies and abortion are some
of the consequences. The social
support within the university system
is also weak; there is little guidance
and counseling for students who
find it difficult to cope with the new
academic and social environment.
The unsafe environment on university
campuses, like dormitories situated at
inconvenient locations, make female
student vulnerable to violence. All of
these challenges ultimately contribute
to low academic performance thereby
increasing female university dropouts.
It is in this context that a university
official approached the YWCA of
Ethiopia to intervene. Bearing in
mind the gap between the favorable
government’s policy framework on
education, health and gender and the
reality on university campuses, the
YWCA of Ethiopia felt that there was an
urgent need for intervention. Removing
the hurdles faced by female students
in higher learning institutes has now
become the YWCA’s major concern.
With the assistance of the David
and Lucile Packard Foundation,
the YWCA of Ethiopia started the
‘Enhancement of Women and Girls
Reproductive Rights in Ethiopia’ project
that currently runs in two Addis Ababa
university campuses.
Supporting
underprivileged women
The YWCA of Ethiopia understands
that building the capabilities of young
women through education and creating
healthy citizens whose reproductive
health needs and rights are
safeguarded is a path to development.
To help women stay in school and
address the economic challenges that
sometimes lead female students to
engage in paid sex with older men, an
empowerment scheme was developed
that offers 100 underprivileged
students a monthly stipend of Birr
100 (approximately USD 9). With Birr
100, a student is able to buy sanitary
pads, shampoo, body lotion and make
photocopies. As books in the library
are not sufficient, young women prefer
to make photocopies and read in their
dormitory, which is safer than going to
the library late at night.
In addition to financial support,
the women in the programme also
participate in a mentoring and
training programme. The programme
delivers training on reproductive
health, leadership and human rights.
The YWCA of Ethiopia already has
existing initiatives on violence against
women and reproductive health in
high schools and used the experience
and knowledge from running these
programmes to implement the
university training.
www.worldywca.org

Leading Change
CC 17
The YWCA of Ethiopia staff and supporters at the launch
of the condom kiosk at Addis Ababa University.
The condom kiosk
The YWCA of Ethiopia realised that
female students had little access to
contraceptives and this had a negative
impact on their sexual health. Through
the contacts established within the
university and government Ministries,
the YWCA received permission to set
up condom kiosks at the Addis Ababa
University. In partnership with DKT
Ethiopia, a leading contraceptives
supplier, the kiosk was set up next to
the female dormitory to provide young
women with sexual and reproductive
health services. The YWCA hopes the
location of the kiosk will encourage
female students to use the service
without shame. It will facilitate access
to contraceptives such as condoms,
the contraceptive pill and sanitary
pads for female students. The project
is sustainable; proceeds from the sale
of the subsidised products will go to
the establishment of a women’s fund.
One of the major challenges of
implementing the project was soliciting
support from stakeholders working
on campus, both governmental and
non-governmental organisations. The
challenge was overcome by engaging
in advocacy work with the NGOs
and government representatives to
convince them of the importance of
encouraging sexual and reproductive
health among university students.
Despite the barriers, the YWCA of
Ethiopia remains passionate about
addressing sexual and reproductive
health rights of young women in
Ethiopia. •
By Melat Tekletsadik Haile,
General Secretary of the YWCA
of Ethiopia
For more about the David and Lucile
Packard Foundation visit:
www.packard.org
For more about the YWCA of Ethiopia
visit: www.ywca-ethiopia.org
Nearly 60% of the
104 million
children globally who
do not attend school
are girls, with HIV
rates higher for girls
who do not finish
primary school.
-------------------------------------------------
1 in 7
girls in developing
countries marry
before age 15. In 17
countries in South
Asia and Sub-Saharan
Africa, almost half of
all girls are married
before age 18
www.worldywca.org

CC 18
leading Change
Sexual Exploitation and
Violence Against Women
Breaking the Poto Mitan of Haitian Society
In general, forced sexual relations within marriage or partnership are not perceived
by the majority of Haitian men and women as violence, although 8 out of 10 women
in Haiti are victims of domestic violence.
Se fanm qui ranje tab la, e
se li ki ranje lavi a” (It is a
woman who prepares the
table and it is her who puts
life in order. Women are central to
everything in life.)
Marie-Claude Julsaint, World
YWCA Regional Director for the
Americas and the Caribbean
participated in a solidarity visit to Haiti
in November 2008. Born and raised in
Haiti until she left at age 17 to attend
University in the United States, Julsaint
returned to Haiti after 10 years. In this
piece, she reflects on the situation of
women and girls in Haiti.
In Haitian culture, women are
referred to as the poto mitan of the
society. The poto mitan is the central
post in a voodoo temple that serves as
the connection between the spiritual
and the physical world; it is the conduit
for the spirits to enter the physical
world during a voodoo ceremony.
Women are therefore the central beam
that keeps everything in order and
connected.
Since the slave revolt, which
brought independence in 1804, women
have played an important role and
stand out as key figures in Haiti’s
history. Today, women contribute up to
70% of the national economy through
their participation in the informal
sector . However, Haitian women face
many forms of violence in a context of
extreme poverty, discrimination and
gender inequality.
Poverty and marginalisation have
contributed to the current situation
of increasing sexual exploitation and
sexual violence against young women
and girls; this impacts their sexual and
reproductive health and rights. Data
and information on sexual exploitation
and sexual violence against women
and girls need to improve in order
for an effective response to be
implemented.
In general, forced sexual relations
within marriage or partnership are not
perceived by the majority of Haitian
men and women as violence, although
8 out of 10 women in Haiti are victims
of domestic violence.
There are also many reported
cases of sexual violence, including
rape of girl-child domestic servants,
commonly known as the restaveks.
Trafficking of women and girls and
forced repatriation of women at the
Haitian-Dominican Republic border
often includes sexual violence and
rape. This also puts women and girls
at greater risk of HIV infection.
Despite these alarming statistics
and reports, I heard many powerful
and inspiring stories of the courage
and resilience of Haitian women who
are able and dynamic leaders of their
communities. Many governmental,
civil society and women’s initiatives
exist, including the establishment
in 1994 of the Ministry for the Status
of Women and Women’s Issues, the
National Dialogue on Violence Against
Women, Haiti’s National Plan to
Combat Violence Against Women, and
more recently the developing YWCA
of Haiti which started its activities in
2006, focusing on women’s health and
HIV, girls education and leadership
development. All these initiatives
demonstrate that the perception
of women as poto mitan is not only
a social factor but is becoming an
institutionalised element of Haitian
society. •
By Marie-Claude Julsaint, World
YWCA Regional Director for the
Americas and the Caribbean
www.worldywca.org

CC 19
HIV and AIDS
Forced and coerced
sterilisation of HIV-Positive
Women: A Human Rights Issue
Guaranteeing women’s human right to free and
informed reproductive healthcare decision-making
What are the duties of [care] providers and
ministries of health to ensure that women
living with HIV are fully informed and have
the capacity to freely decide whether or not
to become pregnant, to carry a pregnancy to term or to
terminate a pregnancy?
In 2006, the UNAIDS Agenda for Action on Women
and AIDS responded to the gendered impact of HIV and
AIDS by calling on governments to ensure that AIDS
health programmes ‘work for women’ – in particular
by “…expanding access to health services that women
need including comprehensive education, sexual and
reproductive health services, antenatal care, prevention
of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programs and
equitable access to antiretroviral therapy (ARV). 1 ”
The agenda has been largely developed in response
to early HIV and AIDS health programming, which too
often regarded women in instrumentalist terms. 2 The
programming was characterised by a focus on preventing
transmission from mothers to their infants, without looking
to the prevention of transmission from parents to children.
Other dominant encounters with ‘mothers’ include the
15 million children orphaned or abandoned due to HIVrelated
ill-health or death of their parents. The common
understanding had been that it was mothers who infected
and who orphaned or abandoned their children.
Reproductive healthcare in the HIV and AIDS context
has thus been complicated by public health concerns
respecting ‘mother-to-child transmission’, and the future
care of children born to women living with HIV. 3 As a result,
HIV positive women have encountered, and continue to
experience, both subtle and overt pressure from health
providers, partners, families, communities and the state to
terminate existing, and to avoid future, pregnancies. In 1998,
the South African Medical Journal published a letter from a
hospital staff-member which stated “…(i) The availability of
antiretroviral treatment should be conditional on voluntary
or enforced sterilisation after the present pregnancy; (ii)
…termination of pregnancy should be considered in HIVinfected
pregnant women, either voluntarily or by law; (iii)
an Act of Parliament should be considered to the effect that
all HIV-infected women in their reproductive years should be
sterilised. 4 ”
www.worldywca.org

CC 20
HIV and AIDS
HIV positive women from around the world face many SRHR violations that include
forced and coerced sterilisation, refusal to provide services, hostile attitudes towards
HIV positive women who seek to have children, stigmatisation at hospitals by hospital
staff, breaches of confidentiality, and testing for HIV without informed consent.
Although many health professionals may not openly
voice such opinions, research studies and anecdotal reports
indicate that such attitudes are widespread. 5 The High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UNAIDS
have expressly addressed this problem of coercion. In a
1998 statement, OHCHR noted that programmes targeting
pregnant women “often emphasise coercive measures
directed towards the risk of transmitting HIV to the foetus,
such as mandatory testing followed by coerced abortion or
sterilisation. 6 ”
While attitudes have slightly shifted since the introduction
and greater availability of anti-retroviral therapy, too few HIV
positive pregnant women are able to access the treatment
and services they require. In many cases, providers do not
perceive their advice as coercive but instead as providing
‘counseling and guidance’ to women who face many
challenges in the bearing and raising of children as a
consequence of their HIV positive status.
A human rights approach to free and informed
reproductive health decision-making is guided by the
principle that all women have a right to reproductive
autonomy including the right to bear children, regardless
of their HIV status. The Convention on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women 7 [CEDAW], for example,
provides that women’s human rights are violated by the
failure to both ensure non-discriminatory access to health
services and to protect women from non-consensual
medical interventions. Rather, women are entitled by right
to acceptable healthcare services defined as ”… those that
are delivered in a way that ensures that a woman gives her
fully informed consent, respects her dignity, guarantees
her confidentiality and is sensitive to her needs and
perspectives. 8 ”
Coercive (or non-consensual) medical interventions,
including abortion and sterilisation, constitute grave
violations of women’s human rights as guaranteed not
only in CEDAW, but also the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights (the Political Covenant) 9 , and the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights (the Economic Covenant). 10 The violation of women’s
human rights to acceptable reproductive health care also
undermines broader public health goals by dissuading
women from seeking care and services. 11 Women may
be deterred ”…from accessing care, because of the
negative associations of HIV, or because they anticipate
or experience prejudicial behaviour from healthcare
providers. 12 ”
The guarantee of women’s human right to free and
informed reproductive healthcare decision-making is,
thus, essential from both a human rights and a public
health perspective. While a woman’s HIV positive status
may influence her healthcare decision-making, it should
not result in her discriminatory treatment at the hands
of health providers or the health system. Prevention and
other health programmes should provide information and
access to services in a manner that respects the dignity of
women by facilitating their free and informed reproductive
decision-making. In the 1998 Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and
Human Rights, UNAIDS and OHCHR expressly recognised
that ”…[l]aws should…be enacted to ensure women’s
reproductive and sexual rights, including the right of
independent access to reproductive and STD health
information and services and means of contraception,
including safe and legal abortion and the freedom to choose
among these, the right to determine number and spacing of
children. 13 ”
The tension between public health and human rights
approaches in reproductive health decision-making, to the
extent that there is one, usually arises not from a difference
in objectives, but a difference in chosen means to achieve
legitimate public health objectives. Rather than viewing
public health and human rights approaches in starkly
opposing terms, it is more useful and more accurate to
consider how existing tensions in implementation can be
overcome. •
Extract from: ‘Bridging the Gap: Developing a
Human Rights Framework to Address Coerced
Sterilization and Abortion’. ATHENA. 2008
References:
1. UNAIDS, The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS. 2006. Keeping the
Promise: An Agenda for Action on Women and AIDS.
2. See Cohen, J., Kass, N. & Beyrer, C. 2007. ‘Responding to the Global HIV/
AIDS Pandemic: Perspectives from Human Rights and Public Health Ethics’.
3. de Bruyn, M. 2002. Reproductive choice and women living with HIV/AIDS.
Chapel Hill, NC:
4. Ibid, p13.
5. Supra note 3.
6. OHCHR and UNAIDS. 1998. HIV/AIDS and Human Rights
7. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women. A/Res/34/180
8. Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW). 1999. General Recommendation 24: Women and health. para 22.
9. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. A/6316.
10. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. A/6316.
11. The notion that human rights protection promotes public health is commonly
referred to as the HIV/AIDS paradox. See MacFarlane, S., Racelis,
M. & Muli-Muslime, F. 2000. Specifically, the HIV/AIDS paradox teaches that
behaviour modification is best achieved by protecting the rights of vulnerable
groups.
12. de Bruyn, T. 2002. ‘HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination: The Epidemic
Continues’. In: Canadian HIV/AIDS Policy & Law Review, 7(1), 8 at 9.
13. OHCHR UNAIDS. 1997. HIV/AIDS and Human Rights: International Guidelines.
Second International Consultation on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights.
HR/PUB/98/1, 20-21.
www.worldywca.org

CC 21
Briefing
From the World YWCA
Vienna to host
world’s largest
international
conference on HIV
and AIDS
World YWCA Programme Director for Asia and Pacific Juli Dugdale celebrated
World YWCA Day with the YWCA of Thailand
World YWCA Day
Celebrates Women
Creating a Safe
World
Over 40 friends and
partners of the World
YWCA joined in World
YWCA Day celebrations in
Geneva, Switzerland on April 24, 2009.
The occasion was an opportunity to
reflect on the World YWCA Day theme
‘Women Creating a Safe World’ and
the event involved a number of different
presentations including ‘Honouring
Women Leaders’ and an introduction to
World YWCA Council 2011.
“Today, we are saying it is possible
to have a different world. Together we
can create a different world; a world
free of violence, free of HIV—where
humanity is celebrated and human
dignity is a lived experience every
day, every where,” said World YWCA
General Secretary Nyaradzayi
Gumbonzvanda.
World YWCA President Susan
Brenann sent a message to the YWCA
movement stating, “YWCAs globally
are honouring women leaders and
celebrating women’s leadership
in creating a safe world. We are
celebrating the YWCA as a safe space.
Safe because we provide shelter and
places to gather, safe because we
welcome all women, regardless of their
circumstances.”
For more, visit:
www.worldywca.org for stories on
YWCAs celebrating World YWCA Day
www.YouTube.com/worldywca for General
Secretary’s video message
www.Flickr.com/worldywca for photos
from YWCAs around the world
Vienna, Austria will host the
XVIII International AIDS
Conference (AIDS 2010),
the largest international
meeting on HIV. The biennial
conference attracts close to 25,000
people, representing all stakeholders
in the global response to HIV, to
address the gaps, assess progress
and identify future priorities in the
response to HIV and AIDS.
The International AIDS Society
(IAS), in partnership with civil society,
government, other international
and scientific partners from Austria
and other parts of the world, will
convene AIDS 2010. The World YWCA
is a member of the Conference
Coordinating Committee (CCC)
representing women, young people
and faith-based organisations. As
part of the planning committee, the
World YWCA is working to ensure that
these constituencies are meaningfully
mainstreamed to all aspects of the
conference agenda.
The conference has great potential
to engage Central Asia and Europe,
especially Russia, in addressing
HIV and AIDS. Russia accounts for
two-thirds of all HIV cases in Eastern
Europe and many believe Central Asia
has one of the fasts growing epidemic
in the world.
For more, visit: www.aids2010.org
www.worldywca.org

CC 22
Briefing
World YWCA rolls
out Regional
Training Institutes
(RTIs)
Within its leadership development
and capacity
building programme for
the 2008-2011 period,
the World YWCA is convening a series
of regional training institutes (RTI)
under the common theme ‘Women
Creating Safe and Secure Communities’.
The main goal is to contribute to
the movement’s strategic framework
by developing regional strategies for
programme delivery including advocacy
on sexual reproductive health
and rights (SRHR), HIV and violence
against women (VAW).
The YWCA of Trinidad and Tobago
will host the Caribbean RTI; more
than 50 women and young women
are expected to attend. Participants
will strategise on ways to eliminate
violence against women and stop
the spread of HIV in the Caribbean.
‘Caribbean Women Creating Safe
and Secure Communities: United to
end Violence Against Women and the
Spread of HIV’ will be the theme of the
Caribbean YWCAs RTI to be held from
May 24-29.
The YWCA of Nigeria will host
the African RTI from June 7-14 under
the theme ‘African Women Creating
Safe and Secure Communities’.
Representatives from 28 African
YWCAs and two Middle East YWCAs
will attend along with three African
associations working towards
affiliation.
In August, the Asia and Pacific
RTI will be held in Bali, Indonesia
from August 2-7. Hosted by the YWCA
of Indonesia, the RTI precedes the
International Congress on AIDS in Asia
Pacific (ICAAP9).
A ‘Young Women Leaders
Dialogue’ will feature at all RTIs,
creating a safe space for young
women of the YWCA movement to
discuss SRHR, HIV and VAW.
“RTIs are one of the long standing
means within which YWCA leaders
and volunteers come together at the
regional level to grow their leadership
and continue to offer the space for
collective reflection, shared knowledge
on best practices and a much-needed
opportunity to affirm young women
in the movement,” says World YWCA
General Secretary Nyaradzayi
Gumbonzvanda.
RTIs in Middle East, Europe and
Latin America will be held in 2010.
Fijian women leaders
profiled on World
YWCA website
Former World YWCA staff member Anne
Walker spent 11 years with the YWCA
of Fiji.
Fiji has become increasingly
unstable after a March
2009 Court of Appeal rule
that declared Commodore
Bainimarama’s regime illegal under
the country’s 1997 constitution.
Women’s groups in Fiji have called
for international support and solidarity
as the government’s continued clamp
down on media threatened their
human rights and increased insecurity
in the country.
The World YWCA has highlighted
women’s leadership in addressing the
crisis in Fiji by publishing interviews
with Fijian women activists on its
website. The women share their hopes
and fears for the country. “Peace and
security are very important to women
in Fiji,“ said Leba Halofaki-Mataitini,
National President of the YWCA of Fiji
in her interview, “Women are one of
the main groups affected by the impact
of such events. As protectors and
anchors of families, family security is
uppermost in their minds. To a large
extent, these events show the quiet
strength of women.”
The World YWCA promotes the
United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1325, which calls for
women’s full participation in peace
building.
Read the interviews on
www.worldywca.org
Could your YWCA be
the host of World
YWCA Council 2015?
The World YWCA is seeking
invitations from member
associations to host the
World YWCA Council in
2015. World Council is the quadrennial
membership meeting of the World
YWCA, involving representatives
from nearly 100 member associations
from around the world. The meeting
is hosted by a member association
and usually rotates around the world
regions.
Hosting World Council provides
many opportunities for the host
association and the YWCAs in the
region. It is an opportunity to showcase
the work and culture of the member
association within the global YWCA
movement.
Expressions of interest should be
submitted no later than September
15, 2009 in order for the World YWCA
Board to consider host locations at its
October 2009 meeting.
For further information email:
worldoffice@worldywca.org
www.worldywca.org

People
National appointments
New General Secretary:
Dr. Beulah Shekhar, YWCA of India
Laetitia Nakirinda Kiyingi, YWCA of Uganda
Mary Small, YWCA of Gambia
New President:
Mayerly Georgina Rivas, YWCA of El Salvador
Karen Lida Antinori de Che Leon, YWCA of Peru
Matilda Johnson, YWCA of Gambia
Sylvia F. Ting, YWCA of Taiwan
Female condoms are the
only available femaleinitiated
HIV prevention
technology,
yet in 2007 less than
26 million
female condoms were
distributed worldwide.
Supporters
Nancy Babcock (USA)
Ann Drummond (Australia)
Christa Gartner (Austria)
Andrea Hugelshofer (Switzerland)
Matsuko Ishikawa (Japan)
Murielle Joye-Patry (Switzerland)
Noboko Kirimura (Japan)
Kaburo Kobia (Switzerland)
Masako Kumae (Japan)
Sheila Moyes (Great Britain)
Kimiko Osato (Japan)
Odette Pollien (Switzerland)
Quinity BV (Netherlands)
Maria Rodriguez (USA)
Miyoko Takatsuki (Japan)
Kayo Tsuji (Japan)
Mine Watanabe (Japan)
YWCA of Lebanon (Lebanon)
YWCA Scotland (Great Britain)
55%
of
young women
cite condoms as an
effective prevention
strategy (UNAIDS)

YWCA
Week Without
Violence
October 12 – 18
About the YWCA Week Without Violence
The YWCA Week Without Violence is an annual campaign that takes place in the third week
of October during which YWCAs around the world encourage their communities to think
and act towards a world without violence. YWCAs on every continent use the week to
raise awareness through events like exhibitions, readings, seminars, walks and contests.
For ideas and tips for Week Without Violence activities visit www.worldywca.org.